A biologist at the University of Alberta has found that high levels of toxic pollutants in the Athabasca River system are linked to oilsands mining. The new research published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences contradicts the provincial and industry point of view.
Dr. David Schindler says toxic levels of mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, nickel and silver all exceed Canada’s safe levels in the Athabasca River, the largest freshwater source for the oilsands in Alberta.
“There’s no way industry can be belching out hundreds of kilograms of toxins every year and this not be detectable in the environment unless the monitoring program is totally incompetent.” — David Schindler, biologist at University of Alberta
